Degenerative disc disease is a type of back pain, disc related, that can strike in the neck and lower back areas. While degenerative disc disease is most commonly seen in the lower back it can happen anywhere in the back or neck since discs run all through the spinal column. Disc disease is one of the leading causes of back pain.
The Aging Process
The back pain discs are causing you is often a result of the aging process. Over time, all people begin to experience spinal disc breakdown. The spinal disc breakdown takes the form of fluid loss and the thinning of the discs. This results in a shrinkage of the narrow area in between each vertebrae, and this can lead to anything from pain twinges to extreme pain.
Disc back pain is often best treated by bringing the back muscles into balance.
The Indicators Of Disc Disease
The symptoms of a disc problem generally include pain in the back and /or pain in the neck. Neck pain, arm pain, back pain, and even pain in the buttocks and legs are all commonly seen symptoms of disc problems.
Some people also get numbness or tingling sensations in their extremities. Pain that increases sharply when you bend over, twist at the waist, or make sudden movements is also common.
Who It Affects
While everyone does have discs breaking down over time, not every person will go through back pain disc problems. It appears that people who have a fully balanced set of muscles in the back area are far less likely to experience the back pain disc problems. There are more than 600 muscles in the back, and these muscles all need to be equally strong. Muscle imbalances may be one of the leading reasons for back pain problems today.
How To Treat Disc Back Pain
Doctors often treat degenerative disc disease and back pain disc related problems in general with medication and a “treat it as it happens” approach. The problem with this type of approach is that it never addresses the imbalances in the back causing trouble, and it often relies heavily on medication that can be unhealthy and dangerous for the body.
Treatments like cortisone injections may be another option, but ultimately this treatment is not a long term solution. Some patients get back surgery, but the success rate for such surgeries long term is low, and complications from the surgery are common.
Thus far it appears that the most successful way to approach back pain disc problems is to find the place the problem started (a weaker muscle group somewhere in the back, often) and strengthening that area. This will bring the whole back into balance and will stop the back pain disc related problems.
